As this Tree Grows
by beess
Summary: Callie knew she didn't need a family. For her whole life, she's been just fine taking care of herself and fighting her own demons. She runs away leaving the family confused and devastated. Their efforts to find her take a turn when they discover she was kidnapped & when she's found, Callie is no longer the Callie they used to know. Trigger warning
1. Prologue

**Summary: Callie knew she didn't need a family. For her whole life, she's been just fine taking care of herself and fighting her own demons. After her adoption is denied for the second time, she sees the world's true colors and feelings of her. So, she makes the decision to run away once again leaving the family confused and devastated. But what turns out as a simple runaway case turns into much more when they discover she was kidnapped. They race against time to find her and when they do, Callie is no longer the Callie they used to know. She is now broken, vulnerable, and lost. Can the family bring her up from her dark place? Or have they lost the Callie they used to know for good?**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Fosters.**

* * *

2021

Callie watched as the sun set, the gloomy sky turning orange and red. She sat with her right leg perched up, with the other lying flat resting on the couch, and her arm over her knee.

This was the same sunset she had watched all throughout her life, but every time felt like the first. It amazed her that when things could be so bad, the sun was always there to cheer you up. It told you that things would be okay and even if things weren't going right for you, the sun was still there. And that even if today was bad, tomorrow can be better.

Callie remembered the days when she felt as though she were her own army. All she had was herself and even when she had her brother, she was still fighting wars on her own.

She sighed as she watched the sun settle and be replaced by the glowing of the moon. She made her way off the couch, knowing she needed to make sure her daughter was getting herself ready for bed.

"One more story?" the seven-year-old asked. They had just read the last line of Cinderella and it was nearing nine-thirty. Callie brushed her daughter's hair back and grabbed her glasses case off the nightstand.

"I'm sorry, baby. But you have school in the morning." Callie opened the case and held it out and the child took her glasses off and placed them in.

"Tomorrow, can we do two stories then?"

"We'll have to see, Emily. I'll tell you what, on Saturday, we'll read stories all day," Callie said and smiled.

Emily's face lit up, "Like old times?"

"Like old times," Callie repeated as she bent over to give her a kiss on the forehead and stood from the bed. Emily scooted down, burying herself in the comforter as Callie tucked her in. "Comfy?" Emily smiled wide, showing her two missing front teeth and Callie smiled. She always found it cute. She dreaded the day when those two teeth would grow in.

"Yep."

Callie turned the lamp off and reached over to turn the nightlight on. The room lit up with moons and stars dancing along the walls. Emily watched in amazement and fascination. Callie watched as her eyes began to droop. She bent down and kissed her temple, brushing streaks of brunette hair out of her face. "Good night, Em," she whispered. "I love you."

Callie left the room and shut the door to a crack. She stood for a moment, listening to the even breaths of her daughter as she fell into a deep sleep. She smiled softly to herself. She envied the innocence and the sense of wonder Emily carried. Callie never wanted her to lose that. She wanted the best for her and never wanted for her to feel she had to grow up too fast. Like she had to.

She turned and went down the hallway to her bedroom. They had one of the smallest apartments in the building, but Callie felt it was just the perfect size for the two of them. She sat down on her bed and kicked her legs in front of her as she grabbed her copy of the most recent book she was reading. She had always enjoyed reading as a child and loved it when she could find the time to get herself lost in one of those romance novels. It wasn't long until she found herself in a deep sleep as well.

* * *

Callie blinked her eyes opened to a new day. She groaned as she turned her alarm off and rolled over. She stretched and yawned as she sat up. She got out of bed and got herself ready for another day of work.

As she entered the kitchen to prepare breakfast for her and Emily, she found her sitting at the table eating cereal. "Oh, Em. You know you shouldn't be getting that on your own. You could get hurt." Callie remembered the cereal was in the cabinet above the fridge and cringed at the image of Emily getting it on her own.

"I'm sorry, mommy," Emily apologized, setting her spoon in the bowl. Callie could tell that she was wanting to cry so she quickly walked over and pulled her into a hug.

"It's okay, baby, but next time, come and get me. Okay?" Callie was bent down at her level and held her eyes with her, wanting Emily to understand.

"Okay, mommy," Emily said and soon went back to her cereal.

Callie poured herself some coffee and joined Emily at the table. It was silent with the only noise being from Emily's spoon hitting the bowl and Callie drinking her from her mug until she sat it down and looked at Emily. "You know, I was talking to grandmas and they said they were going to take you to the zoo this Sunday," Callie said thinking back to the conversation with Stef and Lena the day before.

Emily looked at her with the biggest smile on her face. "Really? I get to see the lions?"

Callie nodded smiling widely as well. She looked at the time on her phone and stood up. "The bus is going to be here soon, so we need to leave in a moment."

They walked down the sidewalk and met up with the other parents and children. Callie watched as Emily let go of her hand and went over to her two best friends. It wasn't long before the bus arrived. Before getting on, Emily ran back over and gave Callie a hug, "Bye, mommy. I love you."

Callie smiled down at her, "Bye, Em. Have a great day at school. I love you too." She watched as Emily got on the bus and wondered how the little girl had grown so much in her seven years of life. How she had gotten through life with this little girl's presence and love thrown her way...


	2. I'm Fine

Throughout the next few days, she had kept to herself. They had noticed her picking at her food during mealtimes, the bags under her eyes, how she only spoke when spoken to. They felt the walls they had gotten her to let down were going back up and they only hoped they could fix this.

From the moment the judge had slammed the gavel down and announced that they couldn't adopt her, it took everything in them not to break down. To not scream that this was unfair. They felt trapped, lost, and as though they were drowning as the judge told them to come back on Monday. The usual chaotic car rides with five kids was nothing but silent and the two women couldn't help but feel it was partially their fault. If only they would've known sooner and would have been able to get this resolved before they had tried to adopt the brother and sister pair.

She had said that she was okay. That they didn't need to worry. But they knew that was an obvious lie. They could see the unshed tears sitting at the edge of her eyes, threatening to spill over and they wished she would let them in. That she would let them comfort her. Callie was only sixteen and deserved much more than this. She deserved to be happy. To be able to let someone love her and they were angry at the world for always being against her.

As she leaned over to kiss her wife, Stef Adams Foster only hoped today would be the day this would all be fixed. Just having got the mail, she placed the bills and junk mail on the table.

"Look at this," she said, showing the manila folder to her wife, Lena. A wide smile crept on her face.

"Could it be?" Lena was smiling widely as well. "This early?"

"Should we wait for him or should we open it now?"

"Of course we should wait for him," Lena laughed, smacking her wife's hand playfully.

"Sorry," Stef shrugged, returning the laugh. "But I don't think he's even gotten out of bed yet."

"Then we'll place it on the table until he comes down."

Stef did so and to distract herself, she walked behind her wife and wrapped her arms around her shoulders in an embrace. "I just can't believe he's finally ours," she beamed into Lena's curls.

"Me too," Lena leaned into the embrace, taking in her wife's scent.

Being able to say that Jude _Adams Foster_ was theirs and it truly being true, there were no words that they could use to describe the way they were feeling. He was there to stay forever. He would never be taken away from them; he would never have to be abused in the system again. He was safe and sound with them and that's the way it should be.

Stef placed a gentle kiss on Lena's temple before pulling away. She bent down, placing her hand on Lena's stomach, rubbing gently. "How's my baby this morning?"

"Hungry," Lena giggled, gesturing towards the bag of potato chips she was eating. It wasn't like her to eat those for breakfast, but it had become one of her cravings ever since becoming pregnant.

"Well, they gotta become strong and healthy," Stef defended. "And I think she agrees," she said once she felt the baby kick.

Lena chuckled, "She doesn't say no to food, that's for sure."

"Who doesn't say no to food?"

They suddenly heard as footsteps came into the kitchen.

"We were just talking about your little sister," Lena smiled at Jude as she placed another potato chip in her mouth. She reached over and grabbed the manila folder from its place on the table as Jude sat down. "Jude, I think you got some mail."

Jude, who had just begun to pour himself some cereal, looked over. He got up from his seat and took the folder from Lena's hands.

"My birth certificate!" he held the piece of paper out to show them. "Look! Jude Adams Foster!"

"Ooh, let me see!" Lena reached out to grab the side of the paper.

"Oh, your hands," Jude retracted the birth certificate, causing Lena to let out a small chuckle. She grabbed the wash cloth next to her and wiped the crumbs from the potato chips off of her hands. Stef walked over to the other side of Jude and wrapped her arms around his shoulders.

"You're officially ours!" Stef kissed the side of his face.

"I can't believe it!" Jude beamed.

"Can't believe what?" Callie came into the kitchen.

"Look, Callie! My birth certificate!"

Callie grabbed hold of the side of the paper. "Oh my god!" She let go and ruffled his hair, "That's awesome, buddy!" She watched her brother sit back down at the table, still clutching on to his birth certificate. A swarm of butterflies fluttered in her stomach. Jude was adopted. She had succeeded in finding him a family.

"Hey," Stef placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, stopping her as she turned around. "I don't want you to worry. You'll get your home run, too, here soon." She spoke softly with sincerity in her eyes.

Callie nodded, "I know." She offered her foster mother a small smile before she, too, sat down at the table.

Lena looked at the time. "We've got to be in court here soon," she began to get the table cleaned up. "I'll go make sure everyone else is up and getting ready."

"After lunch, I need to get Brandon to his appointment," Stef said after looking at the time as well.

* * *

The waiting area seemed different. Or perhaps it was because it no longer had that same cheerful, joyful atmosphere. Callie could feel her hands shaking. She bit her lip as she looked around nervously.

There was a chill in the air as they waited desperately for their turn in the courtroom. They sat in a corner with four chairs. Callie and Stef sat on one side as Lena and Jude sat on the other. Callie guessed that her leg was shaking as well, because she felt Stef place her hand on it, trying to get her to stop. "It will be okay," Stef had whispered to her.

Taking a deep breath, she tried to get herself to calm down, but questions kept surfacing its way to the tip of her brain. What if she couldn't be adopted today either? What if the judge feels she should be in a different home? What if she never gets adopted? She tried to snap herself out of it. Think positive.

The doors to the courthouse opened, gaining the attention of the four of them. They looked over to see Donald, Jude's dad and Callie's... dad? She didn't know what exactly to call him now. He walked over awkwardly and held a hand up, "Hi."

"Hi, Donald," Lena and Stef said. Jude waved as Callie just looked the other way.

Donald looked at her for a moment, feeling a little hurt, before looking at the set of chairs. Jude patted the one next to him and he walked over and sat down.

"It's nice to meet you again," Lena extended her arm out so he could shake her hand.

"You too," Donald shook her hand. He looked over at Callie again, before turning his attention towards Jude. "Are you liking it with them?"

"Yep!" Jude said. "I got my birth certificate today!"

"That's awesome!" Donald smiled.

Callie couldn't look at him. Every time she did, she could feel her anger building and tears wanting to form. She had gone her entire life believing that this man was her father, just to discover years later that it was all just a lie. Was there something else that wasn't being told to her? She felt she wouldn't be surprised if there was.

"Excuse me?" They looked up and saw the court clerk talking to them. "The judge is ready for you."

Slowly, they all stood from their seats. Stef wrapped her arm around Callie's shoulder as Lena did the same with Jude, and the five of them walked slowly into the courtroom. They sat on the left side, in the first row as Donald sat on the right. The judge entered shortly after.

He looked over the paper as he sat at the podium, "I understand, we had some issues with Callie's adoption last week."

"Yes, your honor," Stef was the one to respond.

The judge looked over to Donald, "And you are her adoptive father?"

Donald nodded, "Yes, your honor. I'm the one on her second birth certificate."

"I understand you have a statement for us?"

Donald walked up. "Yes, I do, your honor," he began. "I met Callie's mother when she was six months old. From the moment I held her, I knew she was mine. When we got married, we were one big happy family. I was there for Callie's first steps and her first words. I taught her how to ride a bike and held her when she got sick, and helped her with her homework. By the time she was older, the idea of trying to explain something like this to her, it just felt silly to me. I was and am her father." He finished his statement and could feel tears pricking at his eyes as each memory came back to him.

"Thank you," the judge said after Donald was finished. "You may take your seat."

Donald did so and did a small smile and another awkward wave in their direction.

The judge took his glasses off and looked over the papers once again. "It seems to me, that Donald Jacob was Callie's father for basically her whole life," he nodded. "But," he said. "There is no signature from Robert Quinn on her birth certificate. Judging by that, it's possible that he doesn't even know Callie exists."

Callie could feel her heart sink as she had a pretty good idea to what was coming next.

"Therefore, the only decision I can make is that until Robert Quinn can be located, Callie's adoption is going to have to be denied." And with that, the judge once again slammed the gavel down.

Callie stared, deniably at the gavel. It now rested silently on the podium, as if it were now in some kind of deep sleep. Her mind was blank; void of any emotion at that point. What more could she feel? She knew this was going to happen and she saw it coming.

"Callie?"

She looked up to see Lena, Stef, and Jude now staring at her. They had stood from their seats and were making their way out of row.

"Love?" Lena placed a concerned hand on her shoulder.

Without saying anything, Callie stood from her seat and began to make her way out of the courtroom. Stef and Lena shared a sad look. This hurt them more than anything. To see the hurt in her eyes while trying to grasp around this screwed up situation. Callie was supposed to be theirs; that was how it was supposed to be from the start. How could something like this be happening?

They got back in the car with Stef in the driver's seat and Lena in the passenger's. Jude and Callie sat in the back. Jude squeezed Callie's hand. Callie gave him a small smile as if letting him know that she was okay.

"How about we stop somewhere and get us some lunch, what do you guys say?" Stef looked to her wife and kids. She wanted to do something to get their minds off of this for now anyway.

"McDonald's?" Jude perked up.

"Sure," Stef smiled softly at him. "Does that sound good to you, Cal?" She looked at her daughter through the rearview mirror, the sad look on Callie's face was obvious and it broke her heart.

Callie looked over and nodded quickly and turned to look out the window.

Just like Jude had done to Callie, Lena reached over and squeezed Stef's hand. Stef looked over at her and gave her a soft smile and tried to keep her tears at bay. She rubbed her thumb gently on the back of Lena's hand.

"McDonald's is a good choice," Lena turned her head slightly to look in Jude direction as Stef pulled the car out of the parking space and they made their way out of the parking lot.

* * *

"So you're not getting adopted until Robert's found?"

Later that day, Callie stood against the counter at "Not a Burger Stand". She had been working there for a whole month now, with the promise of being able to keep up with her school work. She had her hands in the pockets of her apron. They were slow that day much to Callie's dismay. Her coworker, who was also her friend, Daphne, stood beside her as her other friend from school, Wyatt, sat down at the table next to them.

"No. He thinks Robert doesn't know I exist," she told them.

"That's crazy," Daphne responded as she began to fill the ketchup dispensers up.

"Yeah, I guess it is," she looked down at the floor. "But I'll be seventeen soon and then I only have a year until I'm eighteen."

Daphne and Wyatt looked at her. "Are you sure you want to wait until then to get adopted? I mean, won't you be at risk of getting taken out of the home?" Wyatt was the one to ask.

"I mean, why go through that hassle?" Callie said. "I'm sure that will just be a waste of time for us all."

"But don't Stef and Lena want to adopt you?" Daphne asked, as she finished one ketchup dispenser and was going on to the next one.

"I mean, yeah, but this will just be a big letdown again." Callie looked down at a stain on her apron. "I don't want to put them through something like this. I'll be fine with waiting," she said as she now leaned her arms up on the counter as she leaned further into it. She glanced to the window as she spoke. Deep down, she knew she was trying to convince herself of that but didn't want to admit it. She let a fake smile grow on her face as she looked at Wyatt. "I'm fine. There's nothing to worry about."


	3. Removed

Callie thought about what she had said to Wyatt and Daphne. About not wanting to be adopted until she was eighteen. When she really thought about it, she was already apart of the family. She knew Stef and Lena loved her just as much as Mariana, Jesus, Brandon, and now Jude. She didn't need a piece of paper to prove that.

Though, still she felt a pang of guilt when bringing this up to them. She could see the hurt and sadness in their eyes that she knew they were trying to hide as they reluctantly agreed with her. They told her that it was all up to her and that they would still love her just as much as before. For a moment, Callie wondered why she was doing this to them. But she reasoned with herself that this was something she had to do. They didn't even know if Robert would be found and she didn't want to get her hopes up for nothing.

It was two days later, and Lena and the kids were getting the kitchen ready for dinner time. Mariana and Jude were working on the salad as Brandon, Jesus, and Callie worked on setting the plates and silverware on the table. Lena was just getting the lasagna out of the oven when they heard the front door open.

"I'm home, loves," Stef said as she came into the kitchen.

"Hi mom!" the kids said as they went to hug her.

"Hey," Lena said as she pulled her wife into a hug, after the kids had gone back to what they were doing and gave her a 'welcome home' kiss.

"It's good to be home and dinner smells good!"

"You're just in time for it too," Lena announced as she went to cut the lasagna.

Stef walked to the fridge to grab one of her beers and sat down at the kitchen table at her usual spot. "How were your days, babies?"

"Fine, I guess," Mariana was the one to answer. "The dance team is going good." Stef noticed that Mariana didn't seem to be telling the whole truth. She noted the low hanging of Mariana's voice as she had said it. Stef watched as Mariana and Jude placed a helping of salad in each of the seven bowls. She made a mental note to talk to her about it later in a more private place.

Soon, they were all sat around the table in their usual places. Lena at the head of the table with Stef beside her on her left. Callie sat next to her with Jude on her other side. Jesus and Mariana sat across from them, and Brandon took the other end of the table across from Lena. The kitchen erupted with the sounds of silverware hitting plates and the chitchats among them.

It felt as though they hadn't even been eating that long when they heard the doorbell ring.

Jesus was the one to stand, almost immediately after hearing it. It had become a habit of his as he had been having a teammate of his come over after school almost every day of the week now to help him with some classes, though she had already been there that day. Not thinking much of it, everyone resumed eating their dinner. Thinking it was a friend of someones. But when Jesus returned to the kitchen, his eyes full of concern, it only took for his words to send everyone out of their seats. A social worker was at the door.

Hearts tight in their chests, Stef and Lena walked to the front door, their five children behind them. They met an asian woman, who was about Lena's height, who was dressed in a professional manner.

"Hi, I'm Stef," Stef extended her hand out to greet her.

"And I'm Lena," Lena shook her hand as well.

"Hi, I am Alaine with child services," Alaine said as she shook Lena's hand.

"What can we do for you?"

"It has come to our attention that your license to foster has expired," Alaine told them.

Stef and Lena looked at each other. "We weren't informed about it," Stef said.

"We understand that you try to formalize Callie and Jude's adoption, and that Callie's didn't go through?"

"Yes, but we were trying to get that resolved," Lena said as she felt her heart quickening.

Alaine looked at them, apologetic. She hated this part about her job, but knew she had to do it. "I'm sorry, but with you not having a license to foster and with Callie's adoption not going through, I'm afraid I'm going to have to remove Callie from the home."

The room had gone completely silent. The kids, who stood in the doorway leading to the living room from the kitchen, looked to Callie, who had her hands protectively on Jude's shoulders. She ignored their looks as she stared at the social worker just several feet away from her. She swallowed the lump in her throat as she squeezed Jude's shoulders. She let go and walked towards the stairs and up to her room to pack her things, ignoring the looks of sadness from Stef and Lena.

Callie knew this routine. She had done it for six years in a row, and seven times counting now. When you are a foster child, you are bound to move around a lot. Going from one family to the other as if you were a useless dog. You were a stranger coming to stay in someone's home. Someone you didn't even know. Callie wondered if this would be like every other time. If she was going to be moved around even more now.

She shoved the handful of clothes she had brought with her when coming to stay with the Fosters into her duffle bag.

"This isn't fair!" Mariana proclaimed with her arms folded against her chest. She stood beside her bed as she watched Callie, the person she considered a sister, pack her things. "They can't just do this!"

"They actually can," Callie said, zipping the bag up. She didn't mean it in a mean way, but just to say that when you belong to the state, they yank you from homes because they have the right to.

Just as she was about to throw her bag over her shoulder, Stef came into the room.

"Love, I am so sorry about this. I promise you; I am going to go talk to the judge and you will be back in your bed tomorrow."

Callie only nodded as they walked back downstairs.

"Ready?" Alaine asked when she saw Callie approaching.

Callie turned to say her goodbyes but noticed that Jude was missing from the room. "Where's Jude?" she asked, looking around.

"He was just here a minute ago," Lena spoke.

Just then, they heard steps coming down the stairs. Jude appeared with his backpack on his back.

"Jude, what are you doing?" Lena asked, curiously.

"If Callie's going, then I am too."

"Jude I'm sorry, but you can't," Stef said softly, her heart breaking for him.

Watching his face fall, Callie placed her hand on his shoulder. "Hey, don't worry about me. You have a family now, and I'll be back soon," Callie told him with sincere. They had always been a pack. They always stuck together, and she knew her being taken from the home was going to hurt him. "I'll be back in time to hear your essay," she promised. She felt better when Jude looked at her with a small smile, one that didn't reach his eyes, but still a smile. She sadly let go of his shoulder and turned to the door, where the social worker was waiting for her. She hugged Stef and Lena, who promised her they would get her back, before she stepped out the door.

* * *

It was nearly an hour later when a placement was found for her. With a woman in just the next town. Her name was Helen, a widowed woman who had decided to foster in her retired days. She watched as Callie pushed her pasta around her plate. She had tried making small talk, wanting to get to know her, but Callie only answered with short answers. Helen understood. It always broke her heart with some of the kids she got. The backstories they brought with them were often times heartbreaking.

She watched Callie for a little longer, before asking, "Not hungry?"

Callie looked at her and shrugged.

"I understand. It's not that good any way," Helen admitted. "How many homes have you been in, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Seven if you count this one."

"Wow," Helen said. "I'm sorry, I know it's got to be tough." A dinging noise filled the room and Helen began to move from her spot. "Sounds like the cookies are finished."

Callie watched her move. She continued to move the pasta around, not having taken one single bite. Though she was cut short from her dinner at the Fosters, she wasn't hungry at all. Instead, she felt sick. The whole evening was coming back to her. How she was just ripped from their home. _Her home_, she called it, but now she wasn't so sure.

She recalled what Alaine had told Stef and Lena. About their fostering license expiring and them being shocked when told about it. She wondered why they didn't renew it and how they didn't even know about it expiring. Was it because of her? She shook her head. She was thinking nonsense now. She knew Stef and Lena loved her very much and that if they did know about it, they would have renewed it.

Helen came back over, a plate with three chocolate chip cookies in her hands. She placed the plate on the table, removing the one with the pasta. Not wanting to seem rude, Callie picked at one of the cookies and brought it up to her mouth, nibbling on it quietly.

"It's okay if you don't eat these either. I can save them for tomorrow," Helen said watching her. "Well it's getting late. How about we go ahead and get ready for bed."

After getting her teeth brushed and pajamas put on, Callie sat down on the side of the bed in the room Helen had for her. She didn't feel like laying down, because she wasn't so sure she could sleep. She looked at her duffle bag, which wasn't even unpacked yet, when Helen appeared at the door.

"Ready for bed?" she asked, and Callie nodded. "Good. Well, since you're a flight risk, I have to put some restraints here."

Callie then noticed the keys in her hands.

"I've never had anyone go crazy on me, and I'm not going to start now. I'm a light sleeper, so if you need anything, just bang on the wall."

Callie's eyes widened as Helen closed the door and she heard the click of the lock as she was locked in. Suddenly this room felt like a cell. As if she were back in juvie.


	4. Guilt

Vision blinded by a ray of sunlight seeping through the bedroom window, she slammed her eyes back shut and rolled over with a groan.

The meaty scent of bacon, sausage, and eggs filled her nostrils, causing for her stomach to growl. Her eyebrows pushed together. It was only Thursday. Stef and Lena usually saved breakfast like that for Saturdays and Sundays. She wondered what the occasion was and had hardly eaten anything over dinner and was now starving. She sat up in bed and it was then that she realized she was not at the Foster's and the previous night's events came back to her. Her shoulders sunk with disappointment and she made her way out of bed and over to the door.

To no avail, the door wouldn't budge. _Of course, she didn't unlock it yet._ A pang of frustration combed through her. Normally she would be fine with waiting, but she had to pee. She knocked on the door first with light taps, but then marginally becoming greater. She stopped once she heard footsteps coming her way.

"I'm sorry. I didn't realize you were awake," Helen apologized as she opened the door.

Callie waved her hand, "It's okay. I just have to go to the bathroom." She quickly walked past Helen without waiting for a reply. Finally having the chance to relieve herself, she sighed heavily and stood to wash her hands.

She opened the door to find Helen stood next to it, obviously waiting for her to come out. Callie wanted to tell her she didn't need to be babysat, but instead just gave a small smile, thinking to herself that it was a little weird.

"I've made us some breakfast. I'm not a good cook and I normally don't make this, but I'd figured you'd like it." With the aroma in the kitchen, Helen grabbed a plate filled with two pieces of bacon, one sausage patty, and a small helping of scrambled eggs and sat it in front of Callie, who was seated at the table.

"Thanks." Callie began to push the eggs around with her fork. Though she was hungry a moment ago, she suddenly didn't feel hungry at all. She could feel Helen watching her, so she pushed herself to eat anyway not wanting to disappoint her. The eggs tasted a little bland and the bacon and sausage tasted a little burnt, but she got herself to finish all of it.

Helen took the plate and brought it to the sink to wash it. She looked back at Callie as she placed the plate on the dry rack, "We leave for school in one hour. I'll get your lunch made as you go upstairs and get ready."

Callie nodded as she pushed her chair in and headed for the stairs.

"Here we are." Helen placed the car in park and turned on the brake. They were parked outside of the brick building, the local public school in which all of her foster children went to.

Callie stared at the sign.

**Woodward High School**

She didn't want to be there. She wanted to go to Anchor Beach Charter School with the Foster's. But another part of her didn't want to be in the midst of their questions and reactions. Asking her how her night at her new foster home was and then promising that she would be back with them soon. Whatever soon meant.

"I'll be here in the same spot at 3 to pick you up." Helen snapped her back to reality.

Nodding, Callie gave a small smile that didn't reach her eyes and grabbed her backpack. As she made her way to the doors, she saw in the reflection that Helen was watching her. She looked back as she made her way inside and saw her car drive away.

* * *

Lena sat down at her desk looking over some paperwork. She had hoped to see Callie in the morning, wanting to ask her how her night was and if the people at the foster home were nice.

It made her nauseous knowing that one of her children was sleeping somewhere else and especially in a home that she had no knowledge of even being good. When she hadn't seen Callie's name on any of the attendance that morning, she figured she must have gone to a different school. She didn't like that idea one bit. Wanting to at least be able to see Callie at school. If she saw her and saw that everything was okay, then she would be able to sleep that night.

Now her only hope rested on Stef being able to talk to the judge today, and that Callie would be home come dinner time.

Lena looked to her phone, checking for anymore updates from her wife. The only one so far was a text simply stating, "Waiting now." Lena frowned. That had been nearly two hours ago. She wondered what was taking so long. She felt guilty and that this was all their fault. They should have known that their license had expired. If they did, then all of this wouldn't have happened.

A light kick made her jump and she looked down at her stomach. A small chuckle escaped her mouth as she placed her hands on her growing baby bump. All of her stress disappearing for at least a moment. "Momma's okay," she talked as if the baby had sensed her mother's stress.

A high pitched ring caused her hand to go flying to its source. "Hey, is everything okay?"

"Yeah, everything's fine love," Stef reassured. "I'm just calling to let you know that I'm still waiting for the judge."

Stef heard Lena sigh. "Still?"

"They said that he's really busy right now," Stef said with hopelessness laced in her voice.

"Does he know that she's been taken from our home?"

"I don't know," Stef admitted. "But he'll find out soon. Don't worry."

"Promise me you'll keep updating me?"

"I promise, love. I gotta go. I love you."

"I love you too."

Stef placed her phone back in her pocket, moved away from the window, and sat back down in her seat. All this waiting was only increasing her nerves. And as each minute went by, she could feel the lump in her throat becoming greater.

Leg bouncing up and down, she looked towards the direction of the judge's chambers for what felt like the hundredth time. She waited for somebody -anybody- to walk out of that direction, indicating to her that the judge was likely free.

She knew that her impatience was known, but she honestly didn't care. She needed to see that judge. Callie needed to be back in their home.

Just then, she heard the creaking of a heavy door and the clanking of footsteps coming in her direction. She looked on with hope and as the judge came into view, she leaped from her seat and practically ran over to him.

"Excuse me, Judge Ringer!"

"I'm sorry, but I am done for the day," Judge Ringer waved his hand.

"But you don't understand," Stef said with desperation as she caught up with him. "Callie has been taken from our home!"

"I'm sorry, but it's going to have to wait until tomorrow."

In one final attempt to get him to listen, Stef moved in front of him and placed her hand on the exit doors, blocking his way out. "Please," she whispered with pleading eyes.

"You are making a big mistake here," Judge Ringer said, having enough of this. "I told you and my decision is final. Now if you step away, I'll gladly speak to you tomorrow."

Stef took in a shaky breath. That meant Callie would have to stay in the foster home another night. Stef didn't want that, but knew she'd better listen now or Callie may never come back to their home. Reluctantly and defeatedly, she moved to the side.

Before Judge Ringer stepped out, he turned back to Stef. "I'll be available tomorrow at noon," and with that he walked out of the building leaving Stef standing by the doors.

Tears brimmed her eyes as she thought about just how exactly she would tell her wife this, and especially how Callie was going to feel when she realized she wasn't coming home today.

Stef had no choice but to go back to her car and drive the long way home.

When school had ended and Lena and the kids had come home, Lena was anxious to see Stef and hear what the judge had said. She wanted to know if Callie was back in the house. After the kids had gone to do their usual after school routines, she walked upstairs and found her wife sitting on their bed.

"Hey, honey," Lena said, trying not to let her nervousness show. She walked over and gave Stef a quick kiss on the lips.

"Hey, love," Stef quietly spoke.

"How did the talk with the judge go?" By her wife's behavior, Lena already knew the answer, but had to hear Stef say it.

Stef threw her arms up, fresh tears brimming at her eyes. "He wants us to wait until tomorrow."

"Did he say why?" Lena asked, her chest feeling heavy.

"He was done for the day," Stef wiped at a stray tear running down her cheek in which she had tried to prevent from happening.

"But you were waiting a long time. I don't understand why he couldn't at least spoken to you."

Stef shrugged, not knowing what to say. "What's Callie going to think now?"

"I'm sure she'll understand once we tell her," Lena said, mostly trying to tell herself that. She knew this would probably break Callie's heart like it was theirs. "When she's back, I think we need to look for Robert Quinn."

"Lena," Stef spoke softly, but firmly looking to her. "You know that's her decision."

"I know," Lena sat down on the bed next to Stef. "But this wouldn't be happening if we were able to adopt her."

"Love, don't forget, we also didn't renew our fostering license like we were supposed to."

Lena's shoulders sunk. She knew Stef was right and the guilt she felt in her office at school came back to her. Callie being removed from their home was more of their fault than the judge's. "I hope she doesn't hate us," she whispered sadly.

"Lena, you know she won't. I'm sure when we tell her, she'll understand."

"You're right," Lena stood to give her wife another kiss. "I'm going to go get dinner on now."

Stef nodded and sadly watched as Lena left the room. She knew Lena was still hurting and probably needed to be alone, judging by her quickness to leave. Stef wished she could take all of this away and was to make sure she was going to apologize to Callie for their mistake when she came back home.

Dinner came around an hour and a half later. As the six of them sat around the table, it was quite obvious of the missing spot. Just like it was the night before after Callie had left.

Wanting to take that off their minds, for the moment at least, they engaged in conversations about days and Lena asked Jude if he was ready for his essay tomorrow.

"I guess," he said, looking down at his food.

"I'm sure you'll be okay, bud," Brandon said with encouragement.

Jude didn't say anything but looked to his right at the empty spot. It didn't take a genius to know what he was thinking, and an awkward silence fell among them. "Will Callie be there to hear it?" he said suddenly in a voice that was almost inaudible and they had to strain their ears to hear.

Stef and Lena looked at each other, having a silent conversation.

"Well," Stef placed her fork down to shift herself so that she could have his attention. "We don't know about that yet, hon. But if not, then I promise you she will want to hear it once she comes back." Stef spoke with gentle softness in her tone.

"And you also have us to present it to, too," Mariana chimed in. "Don't forget that I'm dying to hear it as well."

"Yeah, me too!" Jesus said.

This caused for a small smile to appear on Jude's face. "Okay," he said. He still didn't like the idea of Callie possibly not being there, but if his family wanted to hear his essay, then he would do it. He smiled at_ family_.

* * *

Just like the night before, Helen said her goodnights and Callie watched as she shut the door and locked it.

She sat on the bed with a heavy, frustrated, sigh. This place felt more like a prison than a foster home. She couldn't recall how many times Helen had followed her around the house without giving her any space at all. The only time she could be alone, besides bathroom breaks, was when she was at school and in this room. She knew Helen thought she was going to pull something even when she made it clear that she wasn't.

Why wasn't she back at the Foster's yet? Surely, they had to have spoken to the judge by now. Stef had promised her she would be back in her bed by now.

A sinking feeling came over her. One in which told her that Stef, Lena, Brandon, Jesus, Mariana, and even Jude were happy without her. She imagined them sitting around the dinner table talking about their days, not even acknowledging her absence.

She knew this was going to be the first of many more foster homes coming her way. This time would be different, however. She did not have her brother to protect. She did not have her brother to talk to. She did not have her brother. She only had herself now. And the more she thought about it, the more she did not want a life like this. Being pushed around from home to home like she had been for most of her childhood. She could take care of herself without someone else doing it for her.

But she knew, as she leaned back against the headboard the softness of the pillow resting along her back, since she was sixteen, it would have to be that way for another year and a half. But still she thought of ways in which she could take care of herself.

She had heard of emancipation. Her friend, Daphne had done it and now had her own apartment and worked at Not a Burger Stand. She was the same age. But she also knew how difficult the process was. Callie wanted something that could be done without any hiccups in the way. She thought hard and remembered when she had kissed Brandon. How mad Jude was. She didn't know why that suddenly came to her mind and what it had to do with this. Her crush on Brandon had gone away a long time ago after it was decided he was going to be her brother.

But then she remembered running away, thinking it was the best thing for Jude. How she caught a ride with Wyatt to Indiana. She looked over to the dresser, holding the clothes from her duffel bag. There was no way she could take her duffel bag and leave, especially with Helen always following her. Unless she were to put her clothes in her backpack.

This thought made her nervous, but there was also some excitement. If she were to run away again then she wouldn't have this life anymore. She would be on her own and she knew Jude would be okay, because he had the Foster's. He was adopted and would never be hurt again.

Callie thought about it. And as she grew more tired, she didn't know how much time had passed, but felt her decision made. She got out of bed and grabbed her backpack, figuring she'd do this now rather than wait until the morning. She tried to make her clothes as smooth as possible, trying not to make her backpack look heavier. When all else failed, she just decided to take her textbooks and school supplies out and place them in the drawers. That way, it didn't look suspicious.

She got back into bed, knowing she'd better sleep. Tomorrow would be a long day.


	5. A family to herself

**Author's note: I want to thank everyone who've taken the time to read my story and give it a chance. I hope you all are staying safe during this scary time.**

* * *

The next morning, as the sun rose up and the birds sang their 'good morning' songs, Callie was up long before her alarm would be going off. She had spent the majority of the night working up how she would make this work. Where she would go and how exactly she would get there.

In all reality, she wasn't sure at all. She had counted out the money she made while working at "Not a Burger Stand" and came up with just enough money for a bus ticket. But if she took one, she didn't know what her destination would be.

Callie wasn't sure if it was the adrenaline pumping through her veins or if it was the fact that this was a lot more stressful than she thought, but she found herself having to take a seat on the bed and calm herself down. A whirlpool of emotions was running through her and Callie felt they all came all at once.

Her elbow now resting in her lap and her chin in her hand, she recalled the last time she ran away. How easy it was to just slip out the door. Perhaps it was because she wasn't doing it by herself then. She had run away with Wyatt and they were going to make their way to Indiana but were caught along the way by Stef and Lena. There were a lot of consequences she had to go through, with betraying her foster mothers' trust and also violating her parole.

But those consequences were the least of her worries, because she vowed to herself that this time, she would do it right. She would make sure she didn't get caught. Even if that meant running to every state and city in the country.

By the time she heard the older woman's footsteps making their way down the hallway, she had made sure she had all her stuff neatly placed in her backpack. She held her backpack protectively in her lap as the turn of key and the click of door came to its destination. Swinging opened, Helen smiled softly at Callie.

"Good morning. I hope you slept well last night."

Callie returned the smile and gave a quick response that she did. When they made their way downstairs, Helen instructed Callie to place her backpack on the chair in the front room. She obeyed with reluctance as she suddenly felt nervous. She wondered if Helen knew, but didn't how she would have, because she thought she was acting as normal as she could.

Helen had poured her a bowl of cereal and Callie only pushed it around with her spoon. Nervousness was being replaced with nausea and she would have forced herself to eat if she didn't feel like she would throw it back up.

"Feeling sick?"

Callie brought her gaze up to meet Helen's, who had her eyes pushed together in concern. "A little."

"I have stuff for that. Are you allergic to anything in particular?" Helen asked as she stood from her seat.

Callie shook her head and a few moments later, Helen was placing two gummy tablets in her hand.

"Chew these slowly," Helen said gently, but sternly.

After closing the car door, Callie looked around the campus. There were kids all around being dropped off by parents or talking with friends. She looked past them to see if she could find an easy exit as she made her way to the doors. She turned her eyes to the reflection of the doors to watch for Helen's car to drive away.

When it did, she paused. She knew she would run away at school, but she hadn't quite figured out when she would. Obviously, it had to be before the end of the day and for a moment she cursed at herself for not thinking this part through clearly.

"Excuse us."

Callie turned around to see a group of three girls shoving their way past her.

"What a freak," the taller one, who Callie recognized was in her history class, whispered to the other two. They looked back at her before bursting out in laughter among themselves.

Callie stood shocked and confused as she watched them walk through the two doors and disappear around the corner. She hadn't spoken one word to the taller one and had never even seen the other two until now.

She felt her face twist in anger and her hands balled up in fists, so tightly that they were turning red. She contemplated going after them and punching that bitch in the face.

But instead she turned around and felt her feet leading her away from the entrance doors. That was all that it took. She wasn't about to sit in that classroom with that girl without giving her a piece of her mind. She was done with all of it. With this stupid foster care system. With having to depend on others. She was her own person and she was fully capable of taking care of herself. And she didn't care that others were looking at her as she angrily made her way off the school grounds with no idea where she was going.

* * *

"Are you sure you don't want me there with you?"

Stef had just given Lena their 'good morning' kiss before walking over to pour herself some coffee. "Love, you've got that meeting today and I'm not sure how long it will take." She sat down in her usual spot next to her wife and reached over to grab her hand. "This will be fixed, I promise," she whispered after a moment.

Lena only nodded. She knew she wouldn't believe that until Callie was back in her bed. "This is just all so stressful. That's not good for the baby." She placed her hands on her stomach, as if by example.

Stef didn't know how to respond besides continuing to hold Lena's hand and rub circles on it with her thumb. This was all so stressful, and it wasn't good for the baby. She wished she could make it all go away, but that seemed impossible right now. After a few minutes of silence among the two of them, she brought Lena's hand up to place a kiss on the back of it.

They heard movement coming from upstairs. "Looks like the kids are up," Lena chuckled. And about a second later they heard the yelling of Mariana who was telling Jesus to hurry up in the bathroom.

"I just got in!"

"Well then hurry up and get out. I need to do my hair!"

With that, they felt it was their cue to step in. Stef stood from her seat and made her way up the stairs. "Mariana, your hair can wait until he's done. You have plenty of time."

"That's if Brandon or Jude don't get in there before me." Mariana said under her breath and went back to her room and Stef felt her little statement was a reminder of how big their family had just gotten. One day, it was the five of them, but then just a second later they suddenly became a family of seven.

She shook herself out of her train of thought and went to make sure her other two children were up and getting ready.

"Will Callie be home today?" Jude asked suddenly over breakfast.

Stef and Lena looked at each other, a little shocked by how sudden the question was. Lena swallowed the coffee she had in her mouth before answering, "Well, that's what your mom is going to talk to the judge about today." She offered him a warm smile.

Jude looked down at his food, almost mirroring the way he looked at Callie's spot last night. "But. My essay..." he whispered so quietly that they almost didn't hear him at first.

"Remember what we told you last night? About how Callie will want to hear it when she gets home?" Stef said, giving him her full attention.

Jude nodded, staring at his food.

"We will all be there to hear it," Lena said gently while smiling softly at Jude, offering him some encouragement.

They watched Jude sadly. Stef reached over to grab Lena's hand again.

* * *

By the time Callie was calming down, she found herself in an unfamiliar neighborhood. She didn't know how long she had been walking for, but she was sure it had been a long time as she felt out of breath.

She felt unsteady on her feet and bent down to sit on the sidewalk, needing to catch her breath. With the palm of her hand, she wiped the sweat off her forehead, and shrugged her jacket off, feeling the hot sun beating down on her. She was dizzy and needed to just rest for a moment.

Off in the distance, she heard dog's deep howls. Turning her head, she caught glimpse of a yellow lab behind a fence. He stared at her and continued barking, but Callie realized that he was wagging his tail and wasn't being aggressive.

She grabbed her bottle of water that sat in one of the side pockets on her backpack. The cool liquid running down her throat soothed her.

When she began to feel better, she stood up again and was relieved to keep her balance this time. She looked around, wondering where she should go now. She wasn't sure where she was and wondered how she even ended up here. Biting her lip, she looked at the houses. They were nice and more than likely belonged to someone who was wealthy.

Backpack flung over her shoulder and knowing she had to get out of that neighborhood, she made her way up the street.

Feet colliding with concrete and silently hitting the rocks on the sidewalk with her shoes, Callie wondered if the school had called Helen yet. If anyone was out looking for her. She imagined her social worker on their way to pick her up and the police being called.

Part of her thought of going back to school. She had no idea where she was going and even began to wonder if she was making a mistake. She knew her wanting to run away had more than likely been a spur of the moment. She had been upset with Helen for locking her in the bedroom, and she felt even more upset with Stef and Lena for not coming to get her yesterday.

But she knew she already did screw up. She ditched school and knew the consequences that she was sure to face.

As she continued making her way around town, she found a gas station that she recognized. She stopped walking. She knew her way back to the Foster's from here. If she continued down the sidewalk and went down the first neighborhood, she was on their street.

Her heart raced as she thought about what she should do. Did she even want to run away? She was just so confused right now and wasn't sure if the decision she would make would be the one she would regret.

But, maybe, if she did go over to their house and she told them she was running away, maybe they would convince her to stay.

Callie stared down the street. She had longed for that comfort for a long time. She had longed to be held by her mom; even if Stef and Lena were technically not her mother's yet. She wanted them to tell her that they would fight for her to be part of their family. She needed them to tell her to stay. She needed to hear them say it. She felt extremely vulnerable right now and if they didn't, she knew she would be gone, off to wherever she ended up.

Her feet felt unsteady once again, but this time it was not from exhaustion but from nerves. Once arriving at the neighborhood, she sucked in a breath. She held her backpack strap tightly and tried with all her effort to drag her feet down the sidewalk.

It took three streets to pass, but she eventually found herself on theirs. She could even see their house off into the distance. She stopped once she was right in front of their driveway. There were no cars. Everyone must of been at school and work. She felt her heart sink. They were out like any other day. Completely forgetting about her.

Callie shook her head, knowing that wasn't true. Stef and Lena cared about her. Brandon, Mariana, Jesus, and Jude cared about her. She had to go knock on the door. Maybe someone was home. She walked up the driveway and made her way to the door. The first knock she gave was low and shaky. But the second was more confident and grew louder with each bang. She leaned her ear against the door and tried to hear for any movement coming from inside.

Eventually, she decided to go around to the backyard. She knocked again and peered inside. The house looked like a ghost town almost. It was obvious that no one was home. Her heart once again sunk with defeat. Tears came to her eyes and she wiped them away. When she heard a car coming near, she ran to the front with a glimpse of hope. But she made it just in time to watch the car drive passed her.

As it disappeared, she still watched the empty space. At first, she had no reaction but soon felt tears come back to her eyes. This time she didn't even bother wiping them away.

"Screw them!" She yelled, feeling herself beginning to hyperventilate with anger. "I'll just leave and not come back." She reached into her pocket and felt the money she had for a bus ticket. She took one last look back at the Foster's house with tears staining her cheeks.

"I'll just take care of myself. I've been doing that my whole life!" she wiped at her cheeks with aggressive force.

She stood for a few minutes, getting herself to calm down some more. Once she did, she took a deep breath and whispered, with a steadier voice, "They'll never see me again."

* * *

Stef felt more confident today. She knew she had a much better chance of the judge talking with her and she was going to make sure she didn't screw it up.

**Waiting now. I Love you.**

After sending Lena the quick text message, she tucked her phone back in her pocket.

Even though she felt better about today than she did yesterday, her heart still raced. There was still that possibility of the judge refusing to give them an emergency license, and if he did, there was a good chance that Callie wouldn't be coming home anytime soon.

That was why she was going to make sure she didn't lose her temper or do anything that would set Judge Ringer off and make him not want to help them. She needed this to all be fixed.

"Mrs. Adams Foster, Judge Ringer is ready to speak with you now."

It was about a half hour later when Stef was being pulled from her train of thoughts. She quickly thanked them after standing from her seat and was led into the direction of the judge's office.

Judge Ringer sat behind his desk and was looking over some papers, which Stef guessed was likely their's. After waiting for her to sit, he greeted her and began, "I understand the passed couple days have been kind of hectic."

Stef had to stifle a sarcastic laugh, reminding herself that she couldn't make this worse for all of their sakes. Instead, she responded with, "Yes it has. That's why we need your help. I know we should have renewed our license when we were supposed to, but we thought we would be able to adopt both Jude and Callie." Stef couldn't help the desperate tone her voice had taken.

She watched as Judge Ringer looked back over the papers. Judging by the look on his face, she was sure he was going to refuse. She waited for his response with hitched breath. When he looked back up, he let out a small sigh which Stef realized he was probably trying to hide, but she was able to see it.

"This is a bit of a hard rock," he admitted. "As your license did expire and you really were supposed to renew it. But I can tell how much you have been through these past couple days, so I will go ahead and give you an emergency license."

Stef eyes widened with surprise as she really wasn't expecting the judge to give her an emergency license. "Thank you. Thank you." As she stood up, she shook the judge's hand with her own shaking one. "You don't know how much this means to me, to my family, to Callie. Thank you so much!" Words couldn't describe how much relief was running though her and she wasn't sure if she could thank Judge Ringer enough.

As she exited the building, she was desperate to call Lena. She had to sit down on the bench as she held the phone up to her ear. She felt so much excitement and her adrenaline was running wild.

"Lena!" she said giddily after hearing her answer. "I got it! Callie's going to be home tonight!"

"Oh my god!" Lena yelled, not caring that she was at work. "We have to tell the kids!"

"We will tonight!" Stef's face was beginning to hurt with how much she was smiling. "I have to go with Callie's social worker to pick her up from school."

"I think I'll take the rest of the day off. I need to see our girl as soon as we can."

* * *

Callie took a deep breath as she read the sign they had just passed. _"Welcome to Arizona: The Grand Canyon State Welcomes You"._

The bus she was on was already empty. Everyone who had occupied it before had gotten off at different stops. She wondered why she hadn't gotten off earlier. She wasn't sure she wanted to travel this far.

When the bus halted to a stop, the driver looked at her. "This is the end of the line."

Callie grabbed on to the seat in front of her to help lift herself up. She walked slowly through the aisle until she was making her way down the steps. Once her feet landed on the Arizona soil, she heard the doors of the bus close and watched as the bus drove away.

Part of her wanted to run after it and have the driver drive her all the way back to San Diego. She had no idea what she was supposed to do now.


	6. The man

Standing in the same spot for what felt like forever, Callie decided that she needed to move. All there seemed to be for miles was nothing, but dirt and the road. Needing to get out of this part of town, she searched for some kind of store or building.

* * *

As Stef pulled into Callie's current school, she saw Bill's car and parked next to it. Before she was even putting her car in park, he was already getting out to greet her. "Hi Bill," she shook his hand, still smiling about Callie being able to come home with her today.

They were led back to the principal's office and stepped inside. "Hello, I'm Principle Morgan, but you can call me Debra." She stood to shake their hand. She was a small woman who looked to be in her thirties.

"Hello Debra. My name is Bill Walker, and this is Stefanie Adams Foster," he gestured back to Stef. "I am a social worker for one of your students here, and this is who will be their foster mother, and we are here to pick them up."

"May I have their name please?" Debra asked kindly.

"Callie Jacobs," Stef was the one to speak.

Debra went to her computer to look up what class Callie was in and call her teacher to bring her here. However, when she typed her name in, it notified her that Callie did not show up to school today. "I'm sorry, but it says here that she is not in school today."

Bill and Stef looked at her with confusion.

"I have just spoken with her current foster mother and she informed me that she has gone to school." Bill took his phone out, pulling up Helen's number. When it went to voice mail, he left a message, "Hi Helen. This is Bill, Callie's social worker again. I'm just calling to ask if Callie has in fact gone to school today? I'm here with the principal who has just informed me that she is not in school today. Please call me back at 345-7421."

"Do you want me to call the police?" Debra asked.

"No," Stef interjected before being able to stop herself. She didn't mean to; she was just confused about what to do right now. She had a feeling deep down that something wasn't right.

Bill gave Stef a look, before answering Debra, "We'll go down to her foster family's house and check in with her if she knows where she is and decide on what to do from there. Thank you for your patience." He shook Debra's hand again as Stef did the same.

When they reached Helen's house, Stef prayed that her daughter was here. She was so happy to be able to bring Callie back home, but now she was scared about where she could be.

"Hi Helen," Bill said when the older woman answered. "I called you back, leaving you a message. Were you able to listen to it?"

Helen looked at them for a moment. "I'm sorry, I must not have heard my phone go off. Is something wrong?"

"Well, we don't know. This, here, is Stefanie Adams Foster, who is going to be Callie's foster mother, and when I went to her school, they informed me that Callie was not there."

Helen looked at them, "Well she should be. I dropped her off this morning. I never got a call telling me that she wasn't there." She stepped aside, offering them to come in.

Stef wanted to argue that she didn't seem to be answering her phone, but decided against it, remembering that the principle didn't seem to realize until looking at her computer.

"Would you two like some coffee or anything?"

"No thank you. Do you know where she would be?"

Stef thought for a minute as Helen answered Bill's question. "Did Callie by any chance take her clothes out of her duffel bag and put them into a dresser?"

"Yes, she did. I had her do it the first night," Helen wondered what Stef meant by that.

"May I go up to her room?" Stef felt her heart picking up speed, hoping what she was thinking wasn't true.

"Okay," Helen said uncertain as she wasn't sure how to react. She led them up the stairs to Callie's room.

As soon as she entered, Stef went to dresser and pulled it opened. She wasn't met with clothes but Callie's school supplies. "Dammit!" She practically yelled feeling like she wanted to cry. She already knew but needed to be confirmed. Callie ran away again.

"What is it?" Helen asked, not understanding what was going on.

"Bill," Stef said. "Callie ran away again. We need to call the police now."

Bill nodded, agreeing with her. "I'm on that now."

"Ran away?" Helen said with irritation in her voice. "I knew I should have seen this coming when they told me she was a flight risk."

Stef was about to say something back to her, but thought it was better to keep her mouth shut as this situation already was bad enough. She hated how she went from being happy to suddenly scared to death about where Callie had gone off to.

* * *

Callie was growing tired and didn't think it could get any hotter. Sweat clung to her forehead, matting her hair. She was losing hope in finding a store or building as it seemed her efforts were failing. Her water was also about empty now.

She had watched as several cars passed, seeming to not pay her any attention. She wondered if she could hitch hike and have someone drive her to a motel. At first, she shook the thought away and figured she could just walk some more. But it seemed her feet were aching even more with each step and she was somehow growing even more tired.

Looking behind her, she figured she could at least try. She stopped moving and waited for a car to show up. When one was making its way down the street, she held her thumb up, thinking they were going to stop. But to her surprise, they kept going. When she saw another car, she once again held her thumb up, but they too kept on driving. She sighed, thinking that she was never going to get relieved from this spot.

But when she heard another car coming down the street, she decided to give it one last try. It was an old pickup truck that looked like it was beginning to rust on the sides. She held her breath as she once again held her thumb up and expected them to keep going, but to her surprise and relief, they began slowing down.

When the truck came to a full stop, Callie opened the passenger side's door and climbed in. Sitting in the driver's seat was a man with dirty blonde hair, who looked to be in his early thirties, who offered her a smile.

"Can you take me to a motel?" Callie asked after buckling her seatbelt in.

"Are you not from around here?" He noted her backpack and how he had just found her out in the middle of nowhere. He pushed the car back onto the road and they were now on their way on the road.

"N-no," Callie said hesitantly, scared that he was going to drive her back to California.

"That's okay," he reassured her, looking at her. "How old are you?"

Callie thought about if she should tell him that she was sixteen. When she didn't answer, he looked back at her, "Are you young?"

Callie didn't know why, but she was nodding. He told her that his name was Thomas, but she could call him Tom. She didn't feel like talking and told him to just take her to a motel. She began to feel better once they were somewhere where she could see other buildings and houses.

"My place is coming up. Do you mind if we stop there for a minute? I need to drop some stuff off."

"Okay," Callie said.

It wasn't long before they were pulling onto a dirt road and several minutes later, they were pulling into a driveway that belonged to a trailer.

"Do you want to come in? I know it's pretty hot out here. I have an air conditioner inside," Tom asked her, grabbing his groceries from the back seat.

Thinking about it, Callie was hot, and Tom didn't really seem harmful, so she agreed. When they stepped into the trailer, he gave her a glass of water and she sat awkwardly on his couch waiting for him to finish putting his groceries away, thinking about how weird this was. Her mind went to the Foster's and she wondered if they knew she ran away and if anyone was looking for her.

Looking around Tom's trailer, she noted how dirty it was. There were dirty dishes piled up in his sink, dust was visible on the coffee table and floor, and there were just clutters of things all around.

When he placed the last item in his fridge, she stood up and handed him his glass back and thanked him for the water. "I'm ready to go to the motel now."

Tom leaned against the counter, "Now that I think about it, I don't think I'll sleep right if you went to a motel."

Callie pushed eyes together in confusion.

"It's just that you look really young, like you're in high school, and I can't let something bad happen to you."

"Um… thank you, but I can take care of myself." She began to slowly back up, getting a bad feeling.

"It's just that I'm the adult and I'm pretty sure you're a child, so I can't let you go to a motel by yourself."

Callie wanted to ask him where the hell she was going then, but instead sprinted for the door after it was silent for a few seconds.

She tried to outrun him, but it was obvious that he was a lot faster. She didn't even make it a few feet out the door before he grabbed her.

"Help!" she yelled, praying that someone would hear her. She attempted to kick him, bite him, do anything that would make him drop her, but nothing seemed to be working. He dragged her back inside. "Let me go!"

"I told you I can't let you go out on your own." He tried to drag her, but then just picked her up and took her to a bedroom, where he placed her down on the floor and shut the door, locking it behind him as he left.

Callie ran towards the door and tried to open it and then went to the window but discovered that it was glued shut. She tried not to panic, but that was failing. Her breathing was beginning to go out of control. "Come on, calm down," she told herself. She needed to not panic, so she could figure out what to do. She remembered when she had a panic attack one time and Stef was able to calm her down.

Stef told her to breath with her. Callie tried to remember what exactly she did. She imagined Stef's breathing with hers and was surprised when she was beginning to be able to breathe again. She sat down on the bed and felt tears come to her eyes. If she didn't make a mistake before, she definitely made one now.

She wasn't keen to God and was pretty sure he didn't exist, but she found herself looking to him for hope. "God, please keep me safe from whatever is coming my way, and please, even if I don't deserve it, make them realize." She laid down and buried herself in a fetal position and let herself let it all out.

* * *

**Author's note: Just so everyone is aware, the kidnapping is going to go on for a FEW CHAPTERS and WILL NOT be a quick fix.**


	7. A nightmare

As they waited on Helen's porch, Stef tried to think about where Callie may have gone. Time was going by so slowly and she felt she could have been using it to look for her instead of standing here waiting for the police to show up.

She had held off calling Lena. Figuring that if they were able to find Callie, she didn't need to create any fear. She, herself, was scared to death, but still held that spark of hope that Callie hadn't gone off too far. She could have been at a friend's house or she could have been just walking around town. Stef knew that if that was true, they would most likely not have any trouble in finding her.

In her peripheral vision, she saw a car pulling into the driveway. The three of them watched as a police officer stepped out and walked up to meet them.

Bill was the one to greet him, extending his hand out for the police officer, who introduced himself as Officer Wilson, to shake.

"Is this the first time she has run away?" In his hands, he held a notepad and pen and was writing down notes while talking with them.

Stef tucked a strand of blonde hair behind her ear. "No," she admitted, letting out an inwardly sigh and tried to keep her voice steady. "W-we had a situation a month ago."

"Can you tell me what that situation was?"

"She was upset." When Officer Wilson gave her a look, telling her to explain, Stef brought her hands up to her face. "Look, I know what this might seem like, but Callie is confused right now. She's troubled and is doing what she thinks is best." She watched as he scribbled that down on his notepad.

"I'm going to need details about what she looks like and information about where she would most likely be."

Stef reached into her pocket and pulled out her wallet, pulling out the small school photo she had of Callie. Handing it to Officer Wilson, she said, "This is her school photo." After Helen filled him in on what Callie was wearing this morning, she told him where she believed Callie may have went off to, mentioning the group home Callie was in after she ran away the last time.

"We'll do our best to find her and call you once we have any information."

They thanked him, once again shaking his hand, watching as the police car drove away until it disappeared.

As she got back in her car, Stef decided she needed to call Lena now as she decided she was going to contact Mike and they would go look for Callie as well.

"Hey love," her voice wasn't cheery anymore.

"Hey honey. I just got home. Is Callie with you?" When Stef didn't answer and there was just silence on the line, Lena thought she may have accidentally hung up. "Are you still there?"

"Lena, I hate to tell you this over the phone, but when we arrived to pick Callie up… well she wasn't there."

"What do you mean she _wasn't there_?" Lena dropped the packet of coffee creamer she had in her hand onto the counter and waited for Stef to go on.

"We went up to her room and pulled the dresser opened, but all that was there was her school supplies." When Lena didn't voice a reaction, she continued, "Sh-she ran away again." She was crying now, failing her plan to keep calm.

"Oh god," was all Lena could say. She felt tears slipping from her own eyes. "This is all our fault."

Stef sniffled and tried to get herself to stop crying. "There's a police officer out looking for her now, but I'm going to call Mike and have the two of us search as well."

"I'm coming with you," Lena proposed.

"No, love. I'm sorry, but you need to be there with our other children. Jude's essay is tonight and he's going to need all the support he can get."

"Just please call me once you find her."

"I will, love. I've gotta go now. I love you and tell our babies that I love them too."

"I will. I love you too." When she hung up, she stared out the window into the backyard, shocked about what just happened. She felt goosebumps on her arms and had to sit down.

Once her kids would be coming through the door from a long school day, she would have to explain to them what happened, and she felt unprepared for that. If only this was a nightmare. She would give anything for it to be a nightmare.

* * *

"Hi momma."

Lifting her head up, Lena realized she had been sitting in the same spot from the time she hung up with Stef to when the kids got home. "Hey miss thing. How was school?"

Mariana grabbed an apple from the fruit bowl, sitting in the middle of the table, and shrugged. "It was okay." Taking a bite, she looked her momma over, "Are you okay?"

Lena offered her a small smile, but it didn't reach her eyes. "I'm okay," she lied. "But can you go get your brothers? I need to talk to all of you about something."

Confused, Mariana disappeared upstairs and returned a few minutes later with Jesus, Brandon, and Jude following behind her. The four of them sat down around the kitchen table and stared at Lena, waiting for her to tell them whatever it was she wanted to talk to them about.

Lena looked at Jude sadly and wasn't sure where to begin. "Today, your mom and I got an emergency license that would allow Callie to come back home."

"That's good, right?" Jesus asked, wondering why his momma looked so sad when saying it.

"Yes, that is good," she assured him. "But…" she paused for a moment, not feeling like she was ready to do this. "When your mom went to pick her up… I'm sorry, babies, but…" she decided she needed to just say it, "Your sister ran away again."

The room went completely silent. Jude stared wide eyed at Lena, completely frozen in place.

"Jude?" Lena asked, worriedly. "A police officer and also your mom and Mike are out doing their best to find your sister and bring her back," she gently told him.

"I-I don't want to do my essay," he stuttered.

Lena realized that he suddenly went white as a ghost. "B, can you get Jude a glass of water?"

Brandon did what he was told and handed the glass of water to Jude.

"Honey, drink that."

Jude tried to drink the water but felt like he was going to get sick as soon as he swallowed it. He sat the glass down in front of him and looked up at Lena before clutching a hand over his mouth. "I'm going to-"

He didn't even finish his sentence before standing up and running to the bathroom.

"Jude!" Lena went after him. As she entered the bathroom, he was leaned over the toilet emptying the contents of his stomach. "Oh honey."

Once he was finished, he leaned back into Lena's embrace. "I'm sorry."

"You have absolutely nothing to be sorry about." Lena helped him stand up. "Let's get your mouth rinsed out." She helped him to the sink and turned the faucet on, grabbing one of the small cardboard cups next to it. Filling it up with water, she handed it to him.

"Why did she do it again?" He asked her with a hurtful voice, feeling his eyes glaze over.

Lena let out a sad sigh and got down to his level. "Your sister is confused right now," she said with a small, gentle voice. "And I don't want you to think this is your fault, because it is far from it. And Callie is not mad at you and she still loves you the same."

When he didn't respond, she gave him a small smile and placed a hand on his shoulder. "How about you go lay down for a little while." Standing up, she watched as he left the bathroom to head upstairs to his room.

Later that evening, Stef was finally returning. Lena, who had been waiting on the couch, stood up from her spot and looked passed Stef to see if Callie was coming in as well.

"Nothing?" She asked, though she already knew the answer.

Stef shook her head, biting her lip. She walked over to Lena and the two embraced. Stef buried herself into Lena's shoulder. "I don't understand," she said after breaking from her wife's grip. "I thought things were finally looking up."

She and Mike had spent the last few hours driving all over the city. She went everywhere she thought her daughter would be but had found her nowhere. The cop she had spoken with had yet to get back with her and she just wanted this all to end and for things to go back to normal.

"Me too."

They sat down on the couch and Lena reached over to grab Stef's hand. "We'll find her," she promised.

* * *

When she battered her eyes open, it was obvious that she had fallen asleep. The sun she had stared at earlier was now replaced with the glowing moon.

Sitting up, the room was pitch black. There was no lamp or light switch. Callie swung her legs over the bed and worked her way around the room, leaning on the wall. When she made her way to the door, she once again tried to open it, but it was still locked.

Leaning her ear against the door, she tried to hear for any sounds or movement. When she didn't hear anything, she figured he must have gone to sleep.

When her stomach growled, she realized how hungry she was. She hadn't eaten anything all day. She worked her way back to the window. She knew there had to be a way out of here and wished there was a way to turn a light on.

Trying to once again open the window, Callie tried to use all her force. She tried several times, but it wasn't working. There had to be something in this room she could use as a weapon. In the pitch darkness, she tried to look for one.


	8. Mom's Necklace

Thomas leaned back against the kitchen counter; his arms folded across his chest. He was sick of the attitude Callie, who was sitting at the kitchen table (with one hand handcuffed to the chair), was giving him and he had let her know he wouldn't put up with it.

Callie pushed the food around the plate. She was hungry but wouldn't let herself eat his food, but it was also because of the pain shooting through her hand. Even pushing the food around the plate took effort and she was almost sure it was broken. She had been able to tolerate it for a little bit, but now it was becoming too much. "Can't I have my good hand?" she pleaded, looking up at him.

"No," was all Thomas said. "I can't trust you. I know as soon as I undo that handcuff, you'll try and pull another trick."

"No, I won't. I learned my lesson. My hand is just hurting a lot." As if to show him, Callie tried to push the food around again, but grimaced in pain. She sat the fork back down, looking back up at him and hoping he would give in.

He began to move from his spot at the counter and made his way over to Callie. She stiffened when he was so close that he was almost touching her. Looking at her untouched meal, a look of disapproval came upon him. "You've hardly even touched your food."

"The pain from my hand is making it hard." Callie could tell that he began to think about it. "Every time I lift the fork up, it feels like someone's stabbing my hand." There was a long silence as she waited for what his decision would be.

"Fine," he said, digging into his pocket for the key. He bent down until his mouth was at her ear, causing for her to stiffen even more. "But if you try and pull something, it will be worse than what you already got," he gestured towards her injured hand.

Callie nodded, biting her lip. She was trying so hard to not let herself cry or even show any indication that she was upset. She stayed unmoving as he undid her good hand and replaced it with her injured one.

When he was finished, she was aware of him watching her. She was quick to pick the fork back up and poked it into one of the scrambled eggs. It was easier now, but the pain from her hand was still unbearable. She pushed herself to finish the meal, not wanting to bring another reason for him to give her another lesson.

Thomas took the empty plate after Callie ate the last bite. He stuck it in with the other dishes piled in the sink. He began to say something, but cut himself off, "You know I never did get your name."

Callie stared at him with a look telling him that she wasn't going to tell him. Thomas read it and let out a small laugh. "You know I'll find out eventually. I checked the news this morning and will check it every day. I know your family is going to report you missing."

"I don't have any family," Callie said.

"Really? No mom or dad?"

Callie shook her head, no.

"I know you were running away from something," Thomas said and folded his arms back across his chest. "I can tell that you're not from around here. I know someone will report you missing, because I know you're a child."

"You don't know anything about me!" Callie snapped at him. She didn't care if he got mad. This man who had kidnapped her had no right to even pretend he knew things about her. If he didn't have her restrained and her hand wasn't injured, she knew she would probably lunge at him.

However, he didn't show any indication that he was mad. He kept a straight face and walked back over to where she was sitting. He retrieved the keys from his pocket, but paused before undoing the handcuffs, "Maybe you can think about that while you're in your room." He dragged her out of the chair and led her back to the room he had kept her in last night.

He threw her on the sheets which belonged to a worn-out mattress. "I know something I do know," he spoke. "And that's that I will find out what your name is. Even if I have to force it out of you." He turned and left the room and Callie once again heard that click of the door. This time she did let herself cry.

When she was at Helen's, she was angry every time Helen locked her in the room. Being locked in the room here gave a different feeling. She wanted to say that she was brave. That she would get herself through this. But what she was feeling was that she was scared. Taking a look around the room, she knew she should get used to it. She knew she would more than likely be spending a lot of time there and that she would be hearing the click of the door a lot more often.

She should have left a note or should have waited for one of them to come home when she had gone over there. She knew the possibility of the Fosters or anyone finding her was low. Hell, they were probably angry at her for running away. Again.

She laid down and rested her head on the pillow. Her mind went somewhere else. A place past the Foster's and all of her other foster homes. In this place, she was a little girl again and was sitting on her bed with her mother and a much younger Jude. He was in the middle of them as their mother held the picture book, she was reading to them with the book held up so they could see the pictures.

It was The Ugly Duckling. One of Jude's favorites. She was never fond of the story, because it always made her sad. She hated how everyone was mean to the duck. She had many more memories of her mom reading stories to her and Jude in bed. Those were times she wished she could have back. She touched her mother's necklace around her neck. She felt a sense of comfort, knowing her mom was with her. She wasn't sure she would be able to get through this without her.

Something that he didn't know was that she had her mother's presence to keep her safe. And even in this room, she felt safe. She stared at her mother's necklace. She kept the chain in her good hand and held onto it for a long time.

* * *

The police officer that Stef had spoken to had gotten back with unsuccessful news. She was informed she couldn't work on this, but she couldn't just stand there and not do anything. It was her daughter they were talking about.

She and Mike sat in their patrol car and made a turn onto the next street. It was midday, a little past lunch time. Stef's eyes darted around, scanning the scenery before her. The neighborhood they were in was quiet and unfamiliar. She didn't think they had ever gone down it with any of their routes.

She held her phone tightly in her hand, just in case Callie tried calling. She kept glancing down at it, almost begging it to ring. As they traveled further down into the neighborhood, there was still no sign of her. "She has to be here somewhere."

Mike, who sat behind the steering wheel, quickly glanced over to Stef before placing his vision back on the road. He stayed quiet for a moment, thinking. Suddenly he was pulling the car over on the side of the road. He looked over at Stef, now giving her his full attention, "What if she went out of town?"

"I don't know where she would even go," Stef said desperately, looking down at her phone again.

"Remember last time she caught a ride with Wyatt?"

Stef, who was looking out the window again to see if there were any more signs of Callie, paused. She didn't know how she didn't think of that and why the thought didn't even cross her mind. But now that it was brought up, she began to think about the possibilities.

"Wyatt has already been talked to and has been at school… maybe she took a bus or caught a ride with someone else."

Since they couldn't think of anyone else Callie would hang out with, they decided their best bet was going to the bus station first. When they arrived, they headed up to the ticket stand.

"Excuse us," Mike said.

The man at the ticket stand looked up at him.

Stef held her phone out, "Have you seen her walk through here at any time yesterday or today?"

He studied the photo and tried to remember if he had. "I can't recall if I did or not. We have so many people coming in and out of here."

"She's sixteen years old and is five feet and seven inches tall," Stef said with frustration in her tone, though she knew it wasn't his fault. His matter of fact tone had annoyed her.

"Like I said. I don't recall seeing her. She probably didn't come in on my shift. I can happily let you look at the security tapes."

"Yes, please let us do that."

In order for them to see the security tapes, they had to get with security first. Stef gave them the times she believed Callie would have got on a bus. Now, they were going through a number of five tapes all collided as little screens on the computer. It was hard to keep up with them all as it required for their eyes to constantly dart around at each one. With the situation, it was making it easy to feel dizzy after just several seconds.

Though the footage was grainy, they were still able to see as people got on and off buses, stood around and talked on cellphones or to each other, watched birds on the ground pecking at food on the ground. They saw a good number of things, but nothing of Callie. They tried other times but were met with the same outcome. They were ready to give it up and just continue their drives around.

Stef drew in a breath, "She's not here."

The security guard gave them his apologies. He was about to close the recordings, until Stef was suddenly telling him to stop.

"Right there!" She pointed at the middle screen on the bottom row. The security guard hit 'pause'. "That's her, I can tell just by looking at her back. I recognize her shirt. Lena and I bought it for her and also her backpack."

The tape showed a young girl making her way towards the bus. She had her backpack slung over her shoulder and appeared to have something in her hands, which they guessed was her bus ticket.

Mike looked at the girl and could see that it did in fact looked like Callie. "Let's find out who the driver of that bus was and see if they remember seeing her."

The feeling of them finally getting somewhere was enough to calm her nerves. When they talked to the bus driver, he did remember her… he remembered dropping her off in Arizona. That was what sent Stef back into a frenzy. Everything was going through her mind- Callie could be anywhere in Arizona or for all that Stef knew, Callie could have gotten on another bus and went to another state.

Stef knew she should have been trying harder, but her captain had found out that she and Mike had gone over to the bus station, though she had sympathized and told Stef that she understood, she was still sent home for the rest of the day.

Arriving home was hard. It was another day without Callie coming home with her. Another day seeing Lena's disappointed face. Another day letting, not just herself, but the rest of her family down as well.


	9. A Discovery

Holding the coffee pot, Stef poured what would now be her third cup of coffee. She took a seat at the table and buried her head in her hands. She had gone two days with hardly any sleep and didn't think sleeping would be on the schedule anytime soon.

The mug containing her coffee sat untouched. She stared down into the warm liquid and stayed as such until she heard the sound of footsteps. She looked up as Lena stepped into the kitchen, resting her hand on her growing baby bump.

Lena gave her wife a small smile, but it was nowhere near reaching her eyes. Stef didn't return it and looked back down at her coffee, which had now turned cold. "Stef, it's three in the morning." She said with a soft voice and gently took the seat next to her.

The room was silent as Stef still stared at her coffee and Lena wondered if she heard her. She placed a hand on her shoulder and looked her over sadly. Stef turned her head but didn't say anything. She didn't need to explain anything, because they both knew the reason.

"Come to bed. Your body needs sleep."

"I can't sleep, Lena," Stef said, a little harsher than she intended. She drew in a breath, "I'm sorry."

"You don't need to apologize."

"I just can't stop thinking about her." Stef picked at a small spot where it had chipped on the coffee mug. "I just can't stop wondering where she is and if she's safe," she stopped. She didn't want to think about that possibility. It made her stomach turn.

It made Lena's stomach turn as well and gave her goosebumps. She wanted Callie home with them and hated the thought of her being in trouble. Standing from her spot, Lena walked behind her wife and wrapped her arms around her shoulders. "Remember the police are doing everything they can to find her," Lena said with the same soft tone, though telling Stef that, she was also telling herself that as well.

"But what if they don't find her? What if she went somewhere else? When she gets home, things aren't just going to go back to normal."

Lena stared ahead. Stef was right and they both knew when Callie came home, they were going to deal with the consequences of, not just the fact that she ran away again, but also with her parole. If she would even be allowed to live with them again. Lena still couldn't help but blame herself for this. It was their responsibility to get their license renewed, but they didn't. It was because they thought at the time Callie and Jude would be adopted without any hiccups. She wished they knew then what they knew now. Lena didn't think she would ever forgive herself for this. "We'll worry about that when the time comes. Right now, all we need to worry about is the present."

When six came around, the two of them worked together to get breakfast made and lunches packed. Lena worked on scrambling the eggs and Stef got the cereal, milk, and juices out and placed them in their spots on the table. They made turkey sandwiches for Brandon, Jesus, and Jude, and made Mariana a peanut butter and jelly sandwich as part of their lunch.

The kids were up when seven came around. On normal mornings, they would argue with each other over the bathroom, but ever since learning about Callie running away, they had all been cooperative with each other and well behaved. This morning was no exception to the matter. Brandon had been the first one down, followed by Jude. Jesus and Mariana were still getting ready as the four of them sat around the table and ate their breakfast.

As she took a bite out of her slice of buttered toast, Stef looked at the sling around Brandon's hand. It had been a month since he had been beaten up by Vico, a boy who was caught selling fake ID's. Brandon was going through physical therapy to get his hand working properly again and had made progress, but they only hoped it was enough. Brandon was a pianist, and a good one at that, and needed both hands.

"How is it feeling?" she asked him.

Brandon made a fist with his hand and undid it just as fast. "It feels okay," he shrugged.

"Does it feel like it's made any more progress?"

"I guess."

Stef was about to respond, but before she could, the sound of footsteps and a "Good morning" from Lena pulled her attention into that direction. Mariana and Jesus took their seats and helped themselves to eggs and cereal. Mariana talked a little bit about the dance team, but after that It was silent for the most part until they heard the landline going off.

Stef stood to answer it. "Adams Foster residence." She listened for a little bit before walking into the other room. Lena watched with her eyebrows pushed together, wondering who it was that was calling and why Stef went to the other room.

A moment later, Stef was returning to the kitchen. "Guys, momma and I have some stuff we need to get done today, so you'll have to catch a ride to school or walk." She looked at Lena and made a gesture for her to follow her. She led her upstairs to their bedroom so that she was sure they wouldn't be heard.

"Stef what is it?"

Stef sat down on the bed. "That was Bill."

"What did he say?" Lena asked, knowing it was more than likely about Callie.

Stef hesitated for a second, "He said that… that the police found something… and they want us… to come to the precinct with him…"

Lena looked at her and tried to process what Stef was saying. "What did they find?"

"I don't know Lena."

Lena could feel herself becoming nauseous. She sat down on the bed next to Stef. Stef saw that she had become pale and placed a hand on her knee. "Whatever it is, we're going to get through this."

"You say that, but what if it's something we _can't_ get through."

Stef stared at her; her mouth open. She wasn't sure how to respond or if she could at all. The same thing was going through her mind, way before answering the phone. "Let's make sure the kids make it out the door safely and then we'll leave," that was all she could think to say in the moment.

* * *

They met Bill in the parking lot of the precinct, and he led them inside the building. They braced themselves for whatever it was as they met up with a detective and were led to a room where they sat down at a desk.

The detective that sat down on the other side folded his hands in front of him. He looked at them with sympathy in his eyes. "We received a call from the police in Arizona. They said that a hiker in the woods came across a shirt." He pulled out a photo and placed it in front of them.

Both women felt their hearts drop. The shirt in the photo looked exactly like one Callie owned. "What does this mean?" Stef didn't think she wanted to know the answer.

"The shirt had Callie's DNA on it." They could tell that there was more. "Along with that," the detective paused. "There was also dried blood."

All three of their eyes widened and tears were flowing freely down Lena's cheeks. They waited for him to continue.

"This leads us to believe that Callie was either kidnapped or was killed."

"No, she's not dead," Lena cut in. Stef grabbed her hand and gave it a squeeze, telling her to let the detective explain.

"And I really hope I'll be able to tell you that. But right now, we'll to have to go over the steps we'll take to find her. Since there was no body, we will be treating this as an abduction. That being said, a search party will be conducted where we will search the surrounding areas where her shirt was found. Is there anyone in her life who would want to harm her in any way?"

"Um… we-we can't…"

"Stef and Lena Adams Foster had been Callie's foster mothers for the past couple months," Bill informed the detective. "They were going to adopt her, but it was discovered that Callie had a different father on her birth certificate."

"Is her father in the picture?"

Stef shook her head, no. "After she couldn't get adopted, we tried to look for him, but Callie soon told us she didn't want to continue with it, and we respected that."

The detective nodded. "With these current events taking place, we will have to resume that search and find her father. Given the circumstances, it gives a big possibility that someone may have told him about her, or he may have known about her to begin with."

Stef and Lena shared a look. They never thought about that.

They talked more about the next steps and what exactly would be happening throughout the next few days. It was decided later after they got home that Stef would travel down to Arizona to help in the search. Lena would stay home with the kids, though she had tried to argue about it. They didn't want Lena under too much stress as it wouldn't be good for the baby. Stef would be leaving the next day and had packed for a week.

* * *

It was the next day, shortly after Stef's arrival, when the search party took place. Stef looked around at everyone. People from all over town had come to help in the search. The chief of the department that was working on the case informed everyone of each of the areas they were going to look, and Stef was given the chance to speak to everyone before they began.

She talked about how much Callie meant to her and her family and how much she wanted to be able to hug her again and to tuck her in for bed and help her with her homework. She would give anything to be able to do those things again.

The areas that they searched were wooded. They searched for hours but ended up with no success. Stef had gone back to her hotel room for the night and called Lena about how the search went. The search party would continue the next day.

* * *

Just a couple miles from where the events had taken place, Callie sat in front of the tv as Thomas sat beside her on the couch. She rested her bad hand in her lap, a rag wrapped around it. It hadn't seemed to get any better and she doubted he would take her to the hospital.

On the tv, the news played, but this wasn't an ordinary news report. It was a news report about her. It covered everything from her running away to the search party that took place and would resume tomorrow. She saw Stef and wondered how far away she was from where she sat on the couch.

Thomas turned the tv off after the report was finished. He turned his head to look at her. "Callie. Your name is Callie. I told you I would find out."

Callie quickly moved her eyes away and looked and looked down at the floor before looking at the door. She knew she couldn't escape yet, especially with him sitting right next to her. She would never make it, probably not even a foot from the couch before he would grab her. However, she did feel hope, because she now knew the Fosters were looking for her and she saw the look on Stef's face during the news report. She looked like she wanted to find her more than anything. And Callie wanted to be found more than anything.


End file.
